NCJ Number
165088
Journal
Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma Issue: 1 Dated: (1997) Pages: 287-304
Date Published
1997
Length
18 pages
Annotation
Even though negative attitudes about sex and sexuality and many types of sexual dysfunction are common effects of child sexual abuse and incest, the traumatic sexualization and the aversive sexual conditioning resulting from childhood have not been adequately recognized.
Abstract
Research findings demonstrate that incest and other forms of child sexual abuse introduce a child to sexual functioning and sexuality in psychologically and physically overwhelming ways. Key concepts associated with child sexual abuse include traumatic sexualization, powerlessness, and stigmatization. Traumatic sexualization results in specific psychological and behavioral repercussions, and the psychological impact of traumatic sexualization can be profound. Substantial research and clinical data identify child sexual abuse as a major form of traumatic stress for the child. Post-traumatic stress reactions are conceptualized as inherently dissociative due to the alternation between numbing and re-experiencing symptoms. Trauma resolution involves recollecting and reworking the traumatic material so that split dimensions are reconnected and then processed sufficiently to interrupt the alternating phases. Sexual and interpersonal consequences of incest are explored, and the course and sequencing of incest therapy as devised and articulated by clinicians are reviewed. Adult survivors of child sexual abuse are encouraged to face the effects of abuse and to reclaim their sexual functioning at a pace that is comfortable and manageable for them. 41 references